Alliance
by Archangel470
Summary: Ben Walker is just a normal rebel fighting to free Earth from the Combine, but when the Alliance and Collective arrive, his life changes forever. Alongside famous faces including Commander Shepard, Samus Aran and the Master Chief, Ben must join the Alliance and fight his hardest in order to rid the Collective for good, no matter the personal cost.
1. Chapter 1: Breakfast at Black Mesa East

Ben Walker awoke to the sounds of birds chirping, with the morning sun beaming through the window. Getting out of bed and taking a big yawn, Ben went over and looked out.

The view of the river that flows pass Black Mesa East never looked so beautiful in the mornings. The past was different though. The year is 2024. Twenty years have passed since the Black Mesa Incident, which was then followed by the Seven Hour War, which resulted in the Combine establishing their dominion over Earth. Ben was only 7 years old when these events happened, but he could remember large details on what had happened during the war, from when the first city fell, to when Wallace Breen, who is now Earth's Administrator, signed the official surrender in New York. Now, he is 27, but the past has treated him badly over the past years.

After a few minutes of admiring the view, Ben heads off to the bathroom, so that he could have a shower, brush his teeth, and get dressed, ready for the day. After he was dressed, he adjusts his brown, short spiky hair to look smart, then he began to head down to the cafeteria for breakfast, but it's not just food he was after.

Along the way, Ben saw how today was business as usual for the Resistance. He noticed several rebels having target practice by using dead Combine soldiers for dummies, as well as learning how Combine weaponry, such as the AR-2, can be effective for their own use. Other rebels, who chose not to fight, could be seen transporting supplies to and from Black Mesa East, as well as maintaining radio contact with other bases, such as White Forest and the many outposts within City 17. Many rebels look up to Eli Vance to make the right decisions around the base, as well as having hope that one day, Gordon Freeman, the One Free Man, will return.

Arriving in the cafeteria, Ben easily sees how packed the hall is every morning. Many rebels are lining up in a queue to get their food served by human and vortiganut chefs, while others are busy chatting away while they enjoy the delicious grub on their plates. Ben joins the queue, and once he's arrived at the front, gets a nice hot plate of sausages and eggs. Immediately after leaving the queue, Ben sees Emily Dawson at a table, beckoning him over, along with David Miller. Heading over to the table, Ben sits his plate next to Emily and sits down. Emily and Ben have had a crush on each other for two years now, and even since they've first met, Emily's long blonde hair is still looking as golden as ever. Her almost pale skin shines brightly like diamonds as the sun beams through the skylight above. David on the other hand had smooth black hair along his head, and even shines a tiny bit, due to the sun's position.

"Did you sleep well last night?" Emily asks Ben as he's munching on one of his sausages.

"Kind of." Ben replies.

"What was the problem?"

"I had a dream last night. A dream that I wish wasn't real."

"What was that dream like?" David asks, curiously.

"I was surrounded by dead bodies as White Forest burns in my view." Ben starts. "I was wearing armor, but I couldn't tell what it looked like. I also saw about three or four soldiers approaching me. They weren't Combine, but as soon as one of them starting firing I fired back, with some sort of weaponry you would normally see in a sci-fi movie."

"What did they look like?" Emily asks.

"They wore white armor with strokes of yellow down the sides and on their chests, along with helmets that displayed red light in their eyes." Ben continued. "I eventually killed them, but then I heard someone running up behind me. I turned round, and saw a man that from my perspective looked Chinese. He pins me down and while I was struggling, he puts a white pistol to my head. I hear a gunshot, and I woke up. I had a quick drink and eventually went back to sleep." Ben says as he finished his story.

"That's one harsh dream." David eventually says after a few moments silence.

"Yeah. And it's one I would never want to experience again." Ben replies as he takes another bite out of his sausage.

As an attempt to change the subject at hand, Ben asks "So, what are you two up to today?".

"I've got a radio shift today." David replies, harshly. He quitely remarks "Not sure why we have those. Why don't we have just a few people doing them 24/7?".

"Nobody has the time, patience or willpower to do that kind of thing." Emily sternly reminds him as she wipes her mouth clean of baked bean juice. "Shifts bring a balance to those three things. As for me, I've got a few medical courses today. What about you, Ben?"

"I don't know yet." Ben replies, I haven't been told to do anything this morning.

The three quietly finished their breakfast and tidied up the table. They turn their plates in to be washed, and began to leave the hall until Emily stops the trio.

"Ben. You know that dream you had?" she asks.

"Yes." Ben replies.

"Maybe it's a sign of the future. Like a warning." Emily continues. "You said you saw White Forest, yes?"

"I did."

"You better tell Eli about it." David advises. "Also, he would like to see you in the lab. I hear he's got some sort of job for you."

"OK. I'll head down immediately."

"I'll catch you two later!" David says cheerfully as he leaves to begin his radio shift.

Emily leans in and kisses Ben on the cheek. "I love you. See you later, OK?"

"Of course, sweetheart." Ben responds with a smile. The two head off in different directions, and once Ben has left the room, he heads off to find Eli in the lab.


	2. Chapter 2: The Briefing

**Chapter 2: Briefing**

"Are you sure he's the right person to lead this mission, Eli?" asks Judith Mossman. "I mean, what if it's a Combine trap?".

"I trust Ben very well in matters like this." Eli responds. "You saw how he excelled in all those tests we ran on him back at Black Mesa. He won't fail, I can promise you that."

"If you say so." says Mossman, doubtfully.

After a few moments silence, Eli begins "He should be here any..."

Suddenly, Ben enters the room, looking smart and fit for whatever Eli plans to give him. Ben's father was a good friend of Eli's. Since his death, there's no question that Eli saw Ben as a foster son, even though he's never mentioned it in front of him before. However, Eli too was stricken by loss at Black Mesa, having lost his wife Azian in the incident, and barley escaping alive with his daughter, Alyx, who's now an adult. Eli lost his right leg to a bullsquid while sneaking Dr. Issac Kleiner into a Combine City. It has since been replaced with a metal leg, but Eli will always remember that near fatal attack. Ben always remembers not to bring up incidents like this, believing himself that the past should stay in the past. Mossman also worked at Black Mesa along with Eli and Kleiner, but she also idolizes Gordon, even before the Black Mesa Incident.

"Ah, Ben. We were just talking about you!" says Eli, cheerfully.

"You wanted to see me?" asks Ben, curious to see what the father of the Resistance has to offer for him.

"Yeah. We need your help with something." Mossman replies. "Last week, we lost contact with the radio tower near White Forest. When we last heard them, they said that they were under attack. It's been a week now, so we don't think anyone's survived."

"Shit." Ben quietly remarks.

"Exactly." Eli continues on what Mossman has said. "If we've lost that base, our supply line could be compromised, so we need you to take a small group and see if anyone has indeed survived and hidden somewhere."

"OK." Ben just simply says, thinking that the mission shouldn't be a problem.

"Just a fair warning." Mossman quickly adds. "From what we heard, whatever attacked them was not Combine."

"Not Combine?"

"No." Eli confirms. He walks over to a small radio on a table and proceeds to turn it on. "Hear, listen to this, and you'll see."

All three listen carefully to the transmission that starts as static, which quickly escalates into gunfire and explosions. A male voice can be heard, shouting in panic, as if the situation was urgent.

"This is Outpost 14! I repeat, this is Outpost 14! If anyone can hear this, do not approach, I repeat, do not approach! We are under attack by multiple hostiles. Hostiles are not Combine, I say again, hostiles are not Combine! We'll try out best to..."

"Incoming!" a female voice screams.

"Oh crap!"

An explosion is heard, then the transmission goes back to static. Eli turns off the radio and lets out a quiet sigh.

"I guess I better get going." Ben announces.

"You leave in two hours." Eli replies.

Eli prepares to leave, but Ben's voice stops him.

"I want to tell you something, Eli."

"What is it?" Eli asks.

"I had a dream last night. A dream that after I told Miller and Dawson, they advised me to tell you."

Eli walks to the chair at the table, pulls it out and sits down.

"I'm listening."

Ben explains the dream in full detail, from when he woke up surrounded by dead bodies with White Forest burning in sight, to when the Chinese soldier pins him down to the floor and aiming a gun at his skull. When Ben had finished his story, Eli takes a few moments to take all of it in.

"That's quite a dream you had." Eli spoke at last.

"Dawson thought it could be something that happens in the future. And I'm starting to suspect these guys might have attacked Outpost 14."

"Let's wait and see, shall we?"

"Of course, Eli."

"I better go and get some stuff finished up." says Mossman, and she proceeds to walk to the small room that's next to the elevator in the lab.

"I'll leave you two to work." says Ben, and with nothing else on his mind, begins to walk to the door to prepare for the mission.

"Ben, hold up a second." Eli stops Ben, who turns round to look at him.

"Hmm?"

"I just want to say how proud I am of you, even though you're not my son. The fact that you're taking this mission without knowing the enemy is a sign in your bravery. Your parents would be very proud of you. So would Adam."

"I know, Eli." Ben simply responds.

High up in the Citadel that looms over City 17, Wallace Breen looks out over the vast vista that the towering structure offered him. Having signed Earth's surrender to the Combine during the Seven Hour War, Breen was rewarded with the role of being the planet's Administrator. Breen still answers to the Combine, like every other human, but has significant supremacy over the remains of the human population. He dreams of seeing humanity unshackled from the Combine's supression field, which has been established since the war to prevent humanity's ability to reproduce.

The door to his office opens behind him, and two white Combine Elite guards escort in a man accompanied by another man of Chinese heritage. Once Breen got a good look at the Illusive Man's blue eyes, the guards leave the room and shut the door behind him.

"The trap's been set." The Illusive Man confirms. "You think he'll fall for it?"

"He'll be ready." Breen replies.

"How can you be sure?"

"I've seen how Ben performs in combat. Hell, I've even seen how he's performed in the tests back at Black Mesa when I was it's administrator."

"Tests?" The Illusive Man asks.

"Ben was an experiment." Breen answers the question. "An experiment of creating something that almosts represents a superhuman. The experiment has resulted in Ben having a minor boost in everything, from reflexes to brute strength. He's not perfect, or unstoppable, but it's the closest we've ever got to in the evolution of man at that point."

"At Cerberus, we can enhance his abilities even more. We could make it so that he could easily outfight Commander Shepard, Samus Aran and the Master Chief. Hell, even the whole of Delta Squad won't be able to beat him. Surely with a powerful weapon like Ben, the Collective will..."

"That won't be necessary." Breen cuts off the Illusive Man in mid-sentence. "As soon as he's in custody, we'll send him to Nova Prospekt. It's a completely impenetrable prison, and VERY few people have ever escaped from it. Besides, he won't be expecting your troops at that radio station. Neither of them would."

"Very well. I also which to talk to you about what possible solutions there'll be if the Alliance ever discovered Ben or the resistance. Mr. Leng, if you'd be so wise to leave and prepare the troops?"

Kai Leng simply takes a slight bow. "It will be done, sir." He then proceeds to leave the room while Breen and the Illusive Man began discussions.


	3. Chapter 3: Ambush

**Chapter 3: Ambush**

Chapter 3: Ambush

Ben drives the jeep towards Outpost 14, which sits between White Forest and Black Mesa East. Once the jeep has stopped, Joe, Karen and Fred all got out, while Ben just sits and takes in what he's seeing.

Outpost 14 has an incredible vista, with City 17 in the distance with the Citadel towering over it. It looks deserted, with stains of blood on the walls, which indicates that it was indeed attacked, but there are no bodies to be found. Ben just imagines what could have happened here, with fellow rebels like the one on the radio being pinned down and exchanging gunfire with the oppressing forces. He couldn't think in detail about what happened after the skirmish, either if the enemy just left, or if they executed any survivors and took over the outpost for themselves. He could smell one thing though; this is probably a trap.

"Be alert, guys!" Ben orders the others. "I don't think we're alone here."

The group searches the main building first. Nobody to be seen, and everything on the room seems to remain intact. Joe heads towards the small elevator in the corner.

"Send me down." he requests.

Karen heads over and presses the button, and Joe descends to the generator room which can be seen below the main floor. Fred was ordered to keep on watch, just in case Ben is right, and that someone else exists in the area.

"What makes you think we're not alone?" Karen asks Ben, who's has his hands placed on the table in the middle.

"The transmission claims that was they were fighting was not Combine." Ben replies.

"Not Combine?"

"That's what I asked when Mossman told me." Ben continues.

"Could it be antlions?" Karen asks again.

"I doubt it. They mainly out at the coast." Ben quickly dismisses Karen's theory.

"Then what could it be?" Karen asks for the last time.

"I don't know." Ben responds. "But I have a feeling in my gut that we'll find out soon enough."

Ben then looks down into the generator room. "Anything unusual in there, Joe?"

"Nada." Joe replies. "Everything seems fine down here."

"Should we check the communications building?" Fred asks.

"Good idea." Ben agrees. "You and Karen go ahead, and I'll bring Joe back up."

Joe takes a gentle jog back to the elevator, and Ben presses the button to bring him up. The two then head towards the communications building where Karen and Fred are waiting.

"The doors won't budge!" Fred exclaims.

Ben and Joe go over to the doors, and prepare to bash through them.

"On three, give it all you got, OK?" Ben says, with a slight tone of aggression. He doesn't seem to like what he'll find in there.

"Got it." Joe simply responds.

"One."

Ben and Joe ram their shoulders into the doors. It moves slightly, but it's not enough.

"Two."

The two ram into the building again. It's starting to move, but it requires a lot more force.

"Three!"

Ben and Joe use all their strength to ram into the doors for the last time, and they blow open. Karen and Fred bring out their SMGs ready for precaution, with Fred remaining outside to stand guard. while Ben heads inside to check the radio. Joe takes a breather, having used a lot of force to break down the doors, then after a few seconds, he raises his SMG like Karen and Fred have done.

"Radio seems fine." Ben announces. "It's almost like the attackers fixed the place before leaving."

"Why would they do that?" Karen asks.

"Because my suspicions are right." Ben replies. "This is a trap."

Suddenly a gunshot is heard. The trio turn round and watch as Fred drops his SMG and falls down the the ground, lifeless. Karen rushes outside to check his pulse. She attempts a CPR, then examines his head, and sort a massive red hole, with a bullet lodged inside of it.

"He's dead." Karen remarks with a shock.

"Take cover!" Ben orders.

The remaining three rebels run outside and take cover just as the enemy opens fire on them. When the gunfire has stopped, Ben peers out of cover to get a look on the soldiers. Five of them, with white armor with strokes of yellow with red eyes on their helmets. These were the soldiers that Ben saw in his dream.

Joe peers out of cover and shoots one in the head, killing them. The Cerberus grunts were so sure that they could outsmart the rebels that they didn't even bother to put their shields up. Once the soldier that Joe killed fell to the ground dead, the remaining four put up their shields.

Karen sends a full SMG round into one of the soldiers, but the bullets were all absorbed by the kinetic barriers.

"Shit! They have shields!" she yells out to Ben and Joe.

"Fuck!" shouts Ben as he realizes they have no chance against this new found enemy. "Back to the jeep! Quickly!"

"They've blocked it off, though!" Joe quickly reminds him.

"Double fuck!" Ben shouts again!

The skirmish continued on, with the rebels exchanging gunfire with the Cerberus grunts. As two more grunts fell, one barked out "Bring in an Atlas!".

"What does he mean by that?!" shouts Joe. Then suddenly, a giant object falls from the sky and lands with a big impact. The object then transforms into what seems like a mech, with another grunt inside, who Ben quickly assumes is the pilot. The Atlas mech then brings it's right arm up and aims at Joe.

"Joe! Look out!" Karen manages to yell before the Atlas fires a rocket in Joe's direction.

"Shit!" Joe yells out and tries to move, but it was too late. The rocket hits the ground and explodes, sending him flying across the path and landing near Karen, not moving at all. Karen checks his pulse, and gets nothing. Joe is dead.

"Joe's dead, Ben!" Karen yells out to Ben. "Who the fuck are these guys?!"

"I don't know!" Ben shouts back, "But these bastards are just as bad as the Combine!"

With his rage built up, Ben lets out a scream and moves out of cover, killing the last surviving grunts, but get's pinned down by the Atlas. Karen lobs a grenade at the mech, and when it explodes, stuns it for a brief second. Ben tosses his SMG aside and runs towards the mech with his pistol in hand.

The Atlas begins to direct it's cannon at Karen, but it didn't see Ben running up and jumping onto it. With his pistol, Ben shoots the glass seperating the pilot and him. The pilot then knocks the pistol out of Ben's hand and gets into a struggle with him. Ben then lobs a grenade into the cockpit and drops down to the ground, running towards Karen as the grenade explodes. The Atlas mech starts malfunctioning and explodes into a giant fireball, with parts of it being scattered around the battlefield. Ben takes a second to catch his breath while Karen closes the eyes of Joe and Fred. Once Ben has regained his breath, Karen walks back to him.

"Is that all of them?" she asks.

"I hope so." Ben quietly replies.

Suddenly, Karen lets out a gasp as Ben's face is sprayed with blood. Looking down, she sees a sword sticking out through her torso, and with one last look at Ben, she feels the sword getting pulled, and falls to the ground, dead.

"You." Ben says with a sharp tone of anger and fear. He's now face to face with the man that he saw in his dream.

"What a shame." the man replies. "She would've made a great phantom. I take it you know who I am?"

"Yeah." Ben says. "I don't know your name, but I saw you in a dream last night."

"The name's Kai Leng. And you saw me in a dream?" Leng asks.

"I did. Now, I'm going to kill you before that dream happens for real."

"That wouldn't be wise." Leng says with a smile.

Ben could feel himself being grabbed from behind and having a sword placed under his chin.

"Hope you're ready for a trip to Nova Prospekt." Leng simply says.

This was the last thing Ben heard before being knocked out.


	4. Chapter 4: Nova Prospekt

**Chapter 4: Nova Prospekt**

Breen once again looks out at the window that gives him the towering view of City 17. The Illusive Man is then escorted in by the guards. Once the door has closed behind them, Breen turns round to look at the Illusive man. He expects some good news regarding Ben.

"Well?" Breen asks, and wait for a reply.

"The trap worked. We got him." the Illusive man replies. "Leng's currently transporting him to Nova Prospekt as we speak."

"Excellent." Breen replies with a smile.

"But I also bring some bad news."

Breen's smile then turns into a frown. "What is it?"

"We think the Alliance have discovered the local Resistance on this world.

"Shit. Has anything happened between them?" Breen asks again.

"I don't think so. Not yet, at least."

Mossman rides the elevator down to the lab to meet with Eli. Standing right next to her was Commander John Shepard, the first human Spectre, and a fabled soldier of the Alliance. Shepard is also accompanied by Samus Aran, an intergalatic bounty hunter who joined the Alilance after the Collective start stirring up trouble.

"How long has the Combine dominated your world for?" Shepard asks, as the elevator slowly descends.

"About twenty years." Mossman answers.

"Two whole decades?" says Shepard, surprised.

"Yep."

"Why resist?" Samus asks.

"For a number of reasons, but most particularly, our belief in the One Free Man, Gordon Freeman, who one day, we hope will return."

"Why?" asks Shepard.

"I'm sure Eli will tell you all about the Black Mesa incident soon enough." Mossman responds with a smile.

The elevator comes to a halt, and the doors open.

"Ah. Here we are!" says Mossman, cheerfully.

"So, you two come from the Alliance, right?" Eli asks curiously.

"Yes. My name's Commander John Shepard, and this is Samus Aran." says Shepard. "You're Eli Vance, right?"

"Indeed I am." Eli replies with a smile "And no doubt you've met Judith Mossman" he nods off to Mossman.

"Indeed we have." Shepard replies, as he and Eli shake hands.

"You've got quite a setup here." Samus compliments.

"Thanks. We've spent a lot of work bringing the spirit of Black Mesa to this lab."

"You know there's loads of space on an Alliance warship if you're desperate for more space." Shepard offers.

Eli smiles. "Thanks, but I think we'll manage." Eli then gives away a worried look on his face. He's worried about what's happened at Outpost 14. Ben hasn't reported in since he left this morning.

Samus manages to pick up on Eli's worried look. "Is there something wrong, Eli?"

"Yeah. In some sort of way."

"I'm sure Alyx is fine in City 17." Mossman assures Eli. "Especially when..."

"It's not Alyx I'm worried about." Eli quickly counters.

"Who's Alyx?" Shepard asks, with a curious look.

"My daughter." Eli replies. "She's old enough to take care of herself, though."

"What are you worried about then?" Samus asks again.

"Last week, we lost contact with one of our outposts in the Outlands. We managed to catch a transmission from them, saying that what was attacking them was not Combine. I sent Ben Walker this morning along with a small group to investigate the silence since that transmission. If we lose that outpost, it could compromise the supply line from here to White Forest, another base of ours."

"It's possible that they've all been killed." Samus regretfully says.

"No." says Eli. "I think Ben's still alive. He's one of my best men, and he almost never fails a job that I've given him. He's got remarkable talents, that boy."

"If he's not dead, then could it be possible that he was captured?" suggests Mossman.

"I hope not. Breen's got quite an eye on him, so he might want to use him for his own gain."

"Who's Breen?" asks Samus.

Eli describes Breen is the best way he could. "Dr. Wallace Breen was the administrator back at Black Mesa, where I served as a scientist, hence all the experiments around here. After an incident which ended with the obliteration of the facility, the Seven Hour War began."

"Why was it called the Seven Hour War?" asks Shepard.

Mossman helps Eli with the story. "It was a war which last precisely seven hours. Portal storms raged around the world, with Combine forces pouring through these portals. Seven hours after the first portal, Breen signed the official surrender in New York."

"The Combine rewarded him with the role of being the Administrator of the whole world." Eli continues. "He currently resides in the Citadel, which towers above City 17, one of many Combine cities that have been established after the war."

"What an interesting story." says Shepard. "Now, back to what you're saying about Ben Walker."

"Oh, right." Eli continues the discussion they had earlier. "As I've said, Breen's got a lot of interest in Ben, due to Ben being an experiment himself. It was an attempt at creating genes that match a superhuman in fiction. It worked out OK, with Ben having advanced reflexes and strength then anything we've seen before. He's not perfect, or unstoppable, but it's a start."

"Sounds like someone we could use." says Samus. "Lets work together and find out what's happened to him."

"I hope you'll have a smart plan about this." says Mossman. "Because it'll be more than likely they'll be holding him in Nova Prospekt, which is an inpenetrable prison somewhere along the coast."

"We'll think of something." says Shepard.

Weeks passed. Ben couldn't remember how long he's been in Nova Prospekt. Unlike most prisoners, Ben's been locked in a prison cell, and is guarded at all times. He's fed regulary, and has been let out for bathroom breaks from time to time. Ben knows there's no point in resisting. Many have tried escaping from Nova Prospekt, very few have escaped. Whenever Ben sleeps, he keeps having the same nightmare over and over again. Surrounded by corpses and being pinned by Kai Leng to the ground. Ben still wonders if it's not too late to prevent the nightmare from happening, but right now, he's powerless to try.

One day, however Ben wakes up to gunfire and wonders if someone's trying to escape. A few moments later, a woman with pink hair appears and knocks out the two guards outside the cell. The woman inspects the first guard, then she heads over to the second one. From the guard's corpse, she picks up the keys to the cell and unlocks the door.

"Are you Ben Walker?" she asks.

"Yes" Ben replies.

"Come with me. I'm here to get you out."

Ben considers this at first. What if it's a trap? But then he figures that since this woman has unlocked the door for him, he eventually comes to a conclusion that she's on his side. He stands up and follows her out. The woman looks younger than him, but that didn't prevent Ben from trusting her.

"Who are you?" Ben asks.

"My name's Lightning Farron, but you can just call me Lightning." she replies. "Follow me."

Ben doesn't need to be told twice about what Lightning's just said, and follows her. Suddenly, Breen's voice could be heard, but he wasn't talking to or about Ben. It was something else.

"I have been asked to say a few words to the transhuman arm of Sector Seventeen Overwatch, concerning recent successes in containing members of the resistance Science Team." Breen seems to be talking to the Combine Overwatch, and to Ben, it sounds like bad news.

"Let me say up front that I regret having to temper my heartfelt congratulations with a strong measure of disappointment. But I wouldn't be doing my duty as your Administrator if I didn't pass along the message I have received from Our Benefactors.

The capture of Eli Vance is an event of major significance, make no mistake. And while it's true that conceivably we could have taken him at almost any time in the last several years, the manner of his capture may prove to have unexpected benefits."

"Bullshit." Ben bites out. "Eli would still be at Black Mesa East."

"It's been a few weeks since you investigated that Resistance outpost, which was undoubtfuly a trap." Lightning reminds him. "A lot can happen in a few weeks."

The two continue walking as Breen continues his speech.

"It cannot have gone unnoticed by all resistance members that Doctor Vance's capture coincided with the act of giving shelter to Gordon Freeman. This might cause other resistance members to think twice before harboring Doctor Freeman."

"Again, bullshit." says Ben. "Gordon hasn't been seen in twenty years."

"He was seen in City 17 earlier today." says Lightning. "There's been a lot of talk about it among the other rebels."

Suddenly, two prison guards appear in front of them.

"Halt!" one shouts.

"Stand back." says Lightning, and with swift agility, she runs towards the guards. Both guards start shooting and Lightning jumps in the air, and swings her blade at them as she comes down. The guards fall down dead. They've had their necks sliced open due to Lightning's blade. She turns round to find Ben with his mouth open in shock.

"Look out! Behind you!" she yells. And almost instantly, her blade switches to a gun and with it, she sends a hail of bullets into the two guards that were behind Ben.

"How did you do that?!" Ben asks, still shocked at what has happened.

"I'll explain later." Lightning responds. "We need to move."

Ben follows Lightning though the prison, block after block, while Breen's speech to the Overwatch continues. Ben couldn't stop thinking about it. Has Gordon Freeman truly returned? Breen once again brings his conversation back to the subject.

"How could one man have slipped through your force's fingers time and time again? How is it possible? This is not some agent provocateur or highly trained assassin we are discussing. Gordon Freeman is a theoretical physicist who had hardly earned the distinction of his Ph.D. at the time of the Black Mesa Incident. I have good reason to believe that in the intervening years, he was in a state that precluded further development of covert skills. The man you have consistently failed to slow, let alone capture, is by all standards simply that-an ordinary man. How can you have failed to apprehend him?"

The duo turn a corner and saw Combine Elite guards with their AR-2s at the ready, preventing Lightning and Ben from escaping.

"Run!" Lightning advises. "This way!"

Ben does his best to keep up with Lightning as they run down corridors with the elite soldiers firing their rifles.

Lightning then puts her hand to her ear while running. "Shepard! This is Lightning! I've found Ben, I say, I have found Ben! Requesting a shuttle to evacuate us from Nova Prospekt as soon as possible!"

"Copy that, Lightning!" Shepard responds on the comm. "I'll be down in a shuttle in five minutes!"

"Copy that!" Lightning replies. "Lightning out!"

After following Lightning through the prison, Ben emerges out in the open for the first time in weeks, and at perfect timing, a strange vehicle appears in the sky and lands. The doors open, and Ben sees a man in black armor with the initial "N7" written in white writing. The man gives Ben covering fire and sure enough, both Ben and Lightning board the shuttle.

"Get us out of here!" The man shouts to the pilot. The door closes and the shuttle lifts off. The shuttle then speeds away from Nova Prospekt, and Ben could see it disappearing as the shuttle heads off in a opposite direction to where Ben was facing.

"Thanks for getting me out of there." Ben thanks Lightning.

"Anytime." Lightning replies with a smile.

"How did you do it? I mean, you would need at least 4 people to break someone out from that."

"Sometimes one can be enough."

Ben looks across the shuttle and sees the man smiling and sitting down.

"My name's Commander John Shepard. And you must be Ben Walker."

"I am. How did you know who I was?"

"Eli told me about you when I first met him. About how skilled you were and the situation you were in."

"I heard Eli's been captured." says Ben. "Is Black Mesa East alright?"

"That's were we going to right now." says Shepard.

Ben thinks to himself. "That doesn't sound good."


	5. Chapter 5: It Begins

**Chapter 5: It Begins**

As the shuttle lands in front of the entrance of Black Mesa East, Ben waits for the door to open and then runs out, followed by Shepard and Lightning. The entrance looked like it was blown open with some sort of explosive, and there was nobody in the room above.

The trio continues through the base and all they find is ruins and corpses littered all around. Ben searches the cafeteria in sign of Emily and David, but they were not to be seen. Finally, they searched the lab, and found no trace of Eli and Mossman. At the sign of nobody to be found at all in the base, Ben falls to his knees and takes a few deep breaths to control his emotions.

"Why?" Ben asks, tearfully. "What happened here?"

"When Gordon arrived in City 17, he assisted in using a teleportation device made by Kleiner and Eli to beam him and Alyx over here at Black Mesa East." Shepard says. "It went fine for Alyx, but it went completely wrong for Freeman, and he was forced to escape the city via the canals. I don't know why, but Breen ordered Civil Protection to initiate a man hunt for him. However, many refugees helped Freeman on his way to Black Mesa East."

"When Freeman arrived at Black Mesa East, it was all fine for about ten minutes." Lightning picks up after Shepard. "Then the Combine attacked. They must have followed him to the base in an attempt to capture him. Freeman escaped via the deserted town of Ravenholm. Alyx escaped too, but not via the same way. Many others rebels were killed and many were captured, among them were Eli and Judith Mossman."

"They were sent to Nova Prospekt, were they?" asks Ben, still on his knees, but has cheered up a bit.

"I believe they were." asks Shepard.

"How did you know all this?" Ben asks.

"We came back to the base to tell Eli that we finally have a plan to rescue you from the prison." Lightning responds. "However, like now, the place was deserted when we got here. We tried using the radio and got a response from a woman named Emily Dawson." Ben's eyes widen at the sound of Emily's name.

"She told us about everything that had happened here and why." Lighting continues. "She also heard that we were going to get you out of Nova Prospekt, and told us to tell you that she and a man named David Miller were alright and are currently residing at White Forest."

"Thank God for that!". Ben exclaims with a sign of relief. He then stands up and walks over to Eli's family portrait, which was left behind after the base was attacked. "This is Eli's family portrait, with his wife Azian, and daughter Alyx. This was taken I think sometime before the Black Mesa Incident, and it's all Eli has of his wife."

"What happened to her?" Shepard ask, curiously.

"Azian was killed in the Black Mesa Incident. Eli managed to escape with only this portrait and Alyx." Ben continues. He gives the portrait to Shepard for safe keeping. "When Eli is safe and sound again, give this to him."

"Will do." Shepard replies.

"Also, don't tell him about what I told you about this portrait, please." Ben requests.

"Of course not." Shepard responds with a smile.

"OK." says Lightning. "What now?"

"Next stop, White Forest." Shepard replies.

The Illusive Man is escorted into the room where Breen once again, looks out the large window which showcases the vista of City 17. When Breen turned round to face the Illusive Man, his face sported a worrying look.

"He escaped, didn't he."

"I'm afraid he did, but Mossman has arrived from Nova Prospekt with Eli."

"Excellent." says Breen. "But how did Ben escape?"

"Apparently, he was rescued by a woman, who was with the Alliance."

Breen just laughed. "I thought the Alliance would send something better!" He says, still laughing. "Such as the Chief, or even Delta Squad! But they sent a woman?"

"The woman's name is Lightning." The Illusive Man replies. "Like the others you've just said, she's not to be underestimated. Her weapon can actually transform from a blade to a gun whenever she wants or vice versa."

Breen stops laughing after the Illusive Man finished talking. Then his look became very serious indeed.

"We have a problem, though." Breen says, in an attempt to bring the subject back on track.

"What is it?" the Illusive Man asks.

"I think the Resistance might be starting an uprising. Civil Protection has reported a lot of unusual rebel activity ever since the incident at Nova Prospekt."

"Incident?" The Illusive Man asks.

"Freeman lead a swarm of antlions into the prison, and worked with Alyx to try and get her father out. They failed, of course, but they managed to escape."

"I see." The Illusive Man simply replies. "So, what are we going to do about this 'uprising'. Surely if the Alliance knows of this, they'll be more likely to aid the rebels."

"Exactly." Breen agrees. "I need you to have Vader and Handsome Jack get their forces ready."

"Of course. I'll notify them as soon as I can." says the Illusive Man. "What's your point, anyway?"

Breen simply replies with a short sentence; "I fear that this war has come to Earth."

The shuttle lands outside White Forest's entrance. The lookout guard raises his weapon in hand and shouts "Halt! Who are you?!"

"Let them through." a voice comes form his walkie-talkie. "They're Alliance."

The door opens and Shepard and Lightning step out.

"I apologize for that." The rebel replies. "It's a standard protocol that we..." He's stopped in mid-sentence as Ben emerges from the shuttle.

"Ben Walker?!" The rebel exclaims in shock. "You guys better come in!"

The trio walk through the gate and started walking towards the main base, with Ben leading.

"So, this is White Forest?" Lightning asks.

"Indeed it is." Ben replies. "Good setup, huh?"

"Yeah. It's all so neat and organized." Shepard compliments. "After the fall of Black Mesa, one of our own relocated to this base in order to strengthen relationships between the Alliance and the Resistance".

"I see" was all Ben could say.

As they entered the base, Shepard and Lightning are receiving strange looks from other rebels. Then a woman's voice shouts "Ben!"

"Emily!"

Emily rushes out of the crowd and runs towards Ben. He then eventually starts running towards her, and the two embrace.

"I thought you were dead!" says Emily, tearfully.

"Me too." Ben whispers.

"I didn't know Ben had a girlfriend." Lightning tells Shepard.

"Neither did I."

Then everyone hears a man clapping and saying "Well, well, well. The latest escapee from Nova Prospekt has arrived!"

"You haven't changed at all, Magnusson." Ben replies.

Dr. Arne Magnusson steps out of the crowd for all to see and walks towards Ben. "And neither have you, I see." Magnusson replies back.

"What's the current situation?" Shepard asks.

"The current situation is a disaster!" Magnusson scolds. "Eli's been captured, and Black Mesa East has been abandoned!"

"So, what do we do?" asks Lightning.

"We get Ben to perform a speech, here at White Forest." says another woman's voice. She steps out, and Samus stands next to Magnusson. "Ben is one of Eli's most trusted men, and I'm sure that with Freeman's return, morale will boost."

"I'm not really good at speeches though." Ben says deeply.

"I'm sure you'll try." Shepard says as he comforts Ben. "You know you don't have to do this if you want to."

"No. I'll do it." says Ben with a small tone of defiance in his voice. "When should I do it?"

"Now would be great." Magnusson demands. "Or should I postpone it for a short reunion?" he then teases.

"No." says Ben, sharply. "We'll do it now."


	6. Chapter 6: The Speech

**Chapter 6: The Speech**

Swarms of rebels gather around the small stand outside White Forest, where speeches and important messages are given out to the entire base. It was dark and cold, but most are eager to hear what Ben has to say. Meanwhile, inside the base, Ben prepares himself for what he's going to say to the whole of White Forest. Magnusson eventually approaches Ben once everybody's gathered outside.

"Come." says Magnusson. "It's time."

Ben follows Magnusson, along with Emily, David, Shepard, Samus and Lightning. Once the group emerges outside, it was noisy with chatter among most of the audience. Once the group arrives at the stand, Ben begins to step onto it when Emily stops him for a second.

"Remember, there's no script." she reminds him. "Do whatever you can to send the message out."

Ben steps onto the stand and claps his hands to get the attention from everyone.

"Brothers. Sisters. You're all here tonight to listen to what I'm about to say." he begins.

"Twenty years ago, our lives were changed forever by the Black Mesa Incident. Then along came the Combine, who stripped us of our freedom, and forced us to live under their dominion. Most of us were children when that happened. We're all struck by loss of family and friends, and lived in complete and utter darkness while there was no hope for salvation. But all was not lost, as our very own Eli Vance started a resistance movement against these fierce rulers!

Over the past two decades, we've struggled long and hard, fighting these ruthless aliens over control of our world. We've lost so many souls over the years, either to death or to slavery, but their sacrifices will never be forgotten. Soon enough, they won't be remembered for their choices. We all share a goal in common: Freedom."

There was a big amount of cheering amongst the crowd when Ben mentioned the goal of freedom.

"Yes! They will be remembered for their devotion to that goal!" Ben continued. "We probably wouldn't have made it this far without them."

"He's doing quite well." Lightning whispers to Shepard.

"Yes he is." Shepard replies.

"Now, we begin a new chapter in this war." Ben continues. "Eli Vance has been captured, but the One Free Man we all know as Gordon has returned! I was told that he attempted to rescue Eli along with his daughter Alyx. We don't know what's happening right now at Nova Prospekt, but I hear reports the the prison is currently being overrun by antlions, lead by Freeman himself.

With the prison in disarray, we must now play OUR part in this fight! We must now take the fight to the Combine now! We must begin the long journey to free our world from their grasp! I am not afraid of the Combine, and neither should you! So, now I ask you one question."

Ben raises his pistol into the air and yells "ARE YOU WITH ME?!"

He pulls the trigger, and as soon as the gunshot is heard, an unanimous roar of cheers is heard, as the rebels all decide to begin the Uprising.

As the cheering continues, Ben steps off the stage and back to the group, and is immediately greeted with a kiss on the lips by Emily.

"You did BRILLIANT out there!" Emily exclaims.

"Told you you could do it." Shepard says with a smile.

"Thanks." Ben says with a blush.

"What's wrong?" Lightning asks.

"I'm not sure if we truly can win this." Ben replies. "The Combine are just too powerful in my opinion. If they truly are allies with this 'Collective' that you guys are fighting, then we're already fucked."

"That's not going to happen." Samus assures him. "The Alliance will do whatever it can to help you guys win your world back. Right, Shepard?"

Samus looks to Shepard, who has his hand right up to his ear, like he's deaf, but in reality, he's actually talking to someone on the comm."

"We'll bring him up as soon as we can." says Shepard. "Shepard out."

"What seems to be the problem?" Samus asks.

Shepard turns to Ben. "You need to come with us." says Shepard. "The admiral wants to speak with you."

"Admiral?" asks Ben, confused.

"Admiral Hackett." Samus answers. "He's one of THE main leaders in the Alliance. After we told him what Eli told us about you, he seems to have utmost respect in you. From the sounds of things, it looks like he wants to meet you in person."

"What if I don't want to come?" Ben asks.

"Then that's fine." says Shepard. "We'll still assit the Resistance no matter if you choose to come or not, but it might be all the better for it if you do."

Ben takes a deep breath and comes to a decision.

"OK. I'll come with you guys." he says.

"I'll come too." Emily offers. "He could use some company."

"Me too." David offers, too.

"Of course." Shepard says. "Emily is right. It'll show Ben that even though he'll be on an Alliance ship, the Resistance will still be supporting him. When should we leave?"

"Whenever you're ready." Ben replies.

"Let me make my speech first." says Shepard. He then steps up to the stand and makes a loud whistle. The rebels then quiet down to listen.

"My name is Commander John Shepard. I represent an interstellar force called the Alliance. You all believed to be alone in this war against the Combine for twenty years now. Now, today you'll learn the truth. The Combine are the leading faction of another interstellar force called the Collective. With the discovery of your Earth, the Collective plan to assist the Combine in wiping you all out. However, we shall do the same with you, and help you free your world. Our war is now your war. Let's fight it together."

Murmurs began to utter from the rebels, with their main concern about whether or not Shepard's telling the truth, and whether or not they should trust him.

"That wasn't very convincing." says Emily as Shepard returns from the stand.

"I know." he replies. "When they see us fighting Combine soldiers though, they'll believe that we're on your side."

"Should we go?" Lightning asks.

"Here comes the shuttle right now." Shepard says as he points to a shuttle in the distance approaching. Ben, David and Emily say their goodbyes to the rebels, but also promising that they'll be back as soon as possible. The trio, along with Shepard, Lightning and Samus board the shuttle. When the door closes, Magnusson watches as the shuttle lifts off and flies into the sky.

"How do you expect either Gordon or Ben to get you out of this, Eli?" asks Breen.

"They have their own ways of performing miracles." Eli replies in a sharp tone.

"Maybe not Ben, but Freeman's the main threat here. If only he surrenders, then maybe we can be at peace together." Breen insists.

"I've seen what you and your Combine friends have been doing." Eli counters. "Even if we do come to peace, it won't last. Eventually some smart man will..."

"We have bad news." The Illusive man says as he's escorted in by guards.

"What seems to be the problem?"

"Your inside man in the Resistance has reported that they've started an uprising, thanks to Ben's charming speech." the Illusive Man announces. "He's spoken with Dr. Magnusson, and they're expected to attack City 17 within a week."

"Shit." Breen curses under his breath.

"Plus, the Empire and Hyperion aren't expected to arrive for that same period of time." the Illusive Man adds.

"So we're on our own until the rebels breach the city?"

"Yes."

Breen takes a deep breath, then turns to Eli. "I'll leave you here with this nice view. Let it be a reminder that THIS is what the Collective hope to achieve with our world. And let the following battle be a reminder to you about what your Resistance truly is." Breen remarks. He then turns to the Illusive Man. "Come with me." he says. We've got some preparations to do should we wish to win this upcoming battle."

The Illusive Man gives a brief glance at Eli with his blue eyes, then follows Breen out of the room, leaving Eli alone with the vista of a city that's soon to become a warzone.


	7. Chapter 7: The Honor

**Chapter 7: The Honor**

The shuttle lands in the busy hanger of the Normandy SR-2, which has been orbiting the Earth for the last 48 hours.

"We're here." says Shepard, as the shuttle powers down, and as the doors open. Shepard, Lightning, Samus, Ben, Emily and David all leave the shuttle. The rebels were astounded by the slick design of the hanger, and by the busyness of it. People were everywhere. Some were checking the shuttles, weaponry and armor, while others are busy away chatting to each other. Suddenly, one of them with what looks like a mohawk comes rushing over to greet them.

"Hey, Loco! How did it go?" he asks with enthusiasm.

"Everything went well, James." Shepard replies. "The rebels have started their uprising against the Combine."

"Cool."

That was all James could say before he spots Ben. "So, you must be the one that everyone's talking about right now."

"Yes, I guess." Ben replies.

"Lieutenant James Vega." says James as he extends his hand. "It's a real pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure's all mine." Ben replies with a smile as he shakes the hand.

"You better get up there, then." says James. "The admirals will want to see you." Ben looks towards Emily, unsure about what to do next. She nods her head, and blows a kiss, giving him good luck and confidence.

"You two can stay here." Shepard says to Emily and David. "Maybe James here can fill you in on what's happening." He then looks at Ben. "Follow me."

Shepard leads Ben, Lightning and Samus towards the end of the hanger where an elevator waits. The group enter the elevator, and as the doors close, Shepard punches in a number that Ben couldn't see.

"Where are we going?" he asks.

"You'll see." says Lightning.

After a few moments, the elevator stops, and as the doors open, Ben could only see in amazement at what he's seeing. The design and shape of the Normandy CIC looked so advanced, that not even Black Mesa or Aperture Science could achieve such quality.

"Welcome aboard the Normandy, Ben." Shepard says with a smile. He then turns to Lightning and Samus. "You two can go ahead and resume your duties. I'll remain with Ben for the meeting with the admirals."

"Of course, Shepard." Samus replies.

"We'll see you around, Ben." says Lightning. As she prepares to leave, Ben stops her for a second.

"Thanks again for getting me out of that prison." says Ben.

Lightning just makes a little smile on her face, and then turns around to leave.

"Traynor?" Shepard asks a woman at the terminal. "Are the admirals available on vid comm."

"Yes, Commander." Traynor replies.

"Thanks." Shepard responds. "Come along, Ben."

"Who was that?" Ben asks as he follows Shepard into a room with a blue scanner.

"Samantha Traynor." Shepard replies. "She's our comm specialist."

"I see." Ben simply says.

As the two are scanned, they could hear a quick conversation between two women.

"Why are we even helping these rebels?" asks one. "Surely they can fight the Combine on their own if they want to."

"It could be worse." replies the other. "We might have been helping aliens for all I know that would most likely stab us in the back."

"That's enough, you two." Shepard orders.

"Sorry, Commander." they both reply.

Once they've have been scanned, Shepard and Ben pass by another room that's occupied by a table.

"This where we're meeting the admirals?" Ben asks.

"Nope." Shepard replies. "That's the conference room. It's where we would go if we have guests on board for diplomatic negotiations."

Ben continues to follow Shepard towards yet another room and examines it very carefully. Crew members are at various stations, which would have all kinds of reports, from the status of a planet, to the status of various fleets.

"This is the War Room." says Shepard as he welcomes Ben into the room. "The vid comm is over here."

The two walk towards a small room, which looks quite empty. Shepard press a few buttons on a console, however, and two men appear. Ben couldn't tell what who they are, but he could clearly see that these must be holograms of the admirals he's supposed to meet.

"Shepard!" says one. "Glad to see that things have turned out fine with the Resistance!"

"They've managed to start an uprising. I would imagine the Combine would be seeking help from the Collective right now."

"I imagine they are." says the other man. He then looks towards Ben. "How you're holding up, son?"

"I'm fine, thanks." Ben responds. "Who are you two."

"I'm Admiral David Anderson." Anderson says as he introduces himself. "And this is Admiral Steven Hackett. We're told that you're one of the finest men the Resistance has to offer."

"You could say that." Ben replies with a blush.

"There's no need to be embarrassed." Hackett assures him. "Now, down to business. As you've no doubt know already, we're part of an interstellar force called the Alliance. We've spent years fighting another interstellar force called the Collective. You might not know already, but the Combine is part of the Collective, and they've have been for a while now. They quickly escalated to become the dominant faction, and over the past 20 years, have held your Earth under their control."

"What you mean by MY Earth." Ben asks, shocked.

"We're from another Earth like yours." answers Anderson. "Right now, however, it's under siege from the Collective. And I'm right here on that Earth fighting. It's really hectic here. And believe me, it looks a lot worse than your Earth."

"I guess it must be." Ben replies with a tone of fear in his voice. "Also, you've said you were fighting the Collective for years now. Exactly how many years are we talking about?"

"About 25 years now." Hackett replies. "And all of us, even Shepard were fighting it."

"No offense then, but why aren't you all old men by now?" Ben asks.

"Around 5 years into the war, we encountered a squad of clones that came from a different galaxy to ours, and were also fighting a war of their own." Anderson begins. "We didn't know much about them, but apparently, they were given an order that they refused to carry out. So they effectively fled their commanders, and somehow managed to end up in our galaxy. They decided to join us in our war against the Collective, and somehow, their commanders were on the Collective side as the Galactic Empire. However, since they're clones, their age factor was doubled. These commandos were very well skilled, and most of the missions we sent them on were a success.

We had no idea at the time how long this war would go, and because we were afraid on losing these soldiers to old age, we immediately started researching a cure to help normalize their age factors. The research was a success about a year later, but it didn't normalize their age factor. It completely froze it. We applied it to them, but as soon as we did, the research was stolen by the Collective, who eventually used it to freeze the aging of it's leaders, including Wallace Breen, your Earth's administrator. We decided to do the same to pretty much everyone who volunteered, so that they would fight to see the end of the war, including Shepard, Samus and Lightning."

"How long were these clones fighting their war before they began fighting your war?" Ben asks.

"About three to fours years." Hackett replies. "They called their war the Clone Wars."

"I see." Ben replies. "Now, back to where we were with a question from me. How did you find us?"

"We got here by accident." Shepard replies. "We were following a signal originated from an unknown object. We never found out what it is, but what was more interesting was your world. Me and Samus went down to see if there were any inhabitants, and we saw a couple of your guys under attack from Combine soldiers. We quickly dispatched the soldiers and followed your guys back to Black Mesa East, where we met Eli and Mossman. They told us about you and the mission they sent you on, saying that you haven't reported back in a few hours. We quickly assumed you were captured, and spent several weeks figuring out how we were going to break you out of Nova Prospekt."

"Where is Eli and Mossman now?" Anderson asks.

"At the same time that you guys were trying to break me out, Black Mesa East was attacked." Ben answers. "Many were killed, while some either escaped or were captured, including Eli and Mossman. I don't know where they are now, but they've obviously in the hands of the enemy at the moment. Now, one more question. Why have you brought me here."

"We were hoping that you would join us in our fight against the Collective and..." Hackett begins.

"Woah, woah, hold on a second!" Ben quickly stops him. "First, our world gets taken over. I'm risking my life already to free it. Now you want me in a much bigger war? You must be crazy!"

"We'll help you take back your world, of course." Anderson replies. "And if you think about it, if the Collective lose control of your world, they'll most likely try and take it back. And the more people we have on our side, the better chances we have of winning this thing."

"I don't have much choice then, do I?" Ben replies in a calm tone.

"You don't have to join us, you know." Shepard assures him.

"No. I will." Ben replies. "If what you say is true, that my world won't be safe from the Collective until it's defeated, then you will need my help."

"I was hoping you would say yes." Hackett replies with a smile.

"OK." Anderson begins. "You should probably get suited up and..."

"That won't be necessary." Hackett cuts him off. "I want Ben to head into training for a week and then be sent back down there to fight. I also want him to still be recognized by the rebels."

"Just in time to assault City 17." Ben replies.

"What's that?" Anderon asks, curiously.

"Dr. Arne Magnusson said that if the Uprising goes as planned, we could be ready to enter City 17 within a week's time." Ben answers.

"Very well." Hackett responds. "We should leave you to do your training now."

"One more thing, Admiral." says Ben. "It's an honor to fight alongside you."

"No, Ben." Hackett replies. "The honor is mine. I've heard many things about you. Let's hope Eli is right about you. Hackett out." and his hologram disappears, indicating that he has disconnected from the comm.

"You should go to the Citadel." Anderson advises. "It's a place you can relax at while you do your training. It's good to have you with us, Ben. I'm sure you won't disappoint us."

"I don't plan to." Ben replies with a smile.

"Good. Anderson out." Anderson's hologram then immediately disappears from sight.

"Welcome to the Alliance, Ben." Shepard says as he extends his hand out of welcome. Ben says nothing as he shakes it.

"Let's hope I made the right choice to trust you guys." he says.

"Trust me." Shepard responds. "You did."

"Would you like me to plot a course to the Citadel, Commander?" a voice comes over speakers.

"Set the course, Joker." Shepard replies.

"Aye, aye!"

"Who was that?" Ben replies.

"Our pilot, Joker." Shepard replies. "He might be annoying sometimes, but he's sure to make you laugh if you up for that kind of stuff."

"OK, I guess." Ben replies

"Come with me." Shepard says. "I'll introduce you to the crew. We'll head down to the gun battery first. One of our guys spends most of his time down there doing calibrations..."

Hours pass. Emily and Daivd sit together as they watched the crew of the Normandy performing their duties quite like they themselves would do at Black Mesa East.

"Are you okay, Emily?" David asks.

"I'm fine." Emily replies. "It's just that one thing keeps going on in my mind."

"What's that, I wonder?" David asks again, curiously.

"I never thought that something like this would be possible." says Emily. "Allies from beyond the stars."

"I didn't think that would be possible, either." says David. "But I don't really trust these guys."

"Why not?" Emily asks.

"I don't know." David replies. I just feel that I don't belong here."

"If they thought that we were a threat, they wouldn't let us come aboard to accompany Ben." Emily reminds him. "They guys won't hurt us. I'm sure."

"I guess." David responds. "Isn't it hard to believe that these guys have been at war for 25 years?"

"It is, actually." Emily replies. "I'm surprised that nobody here hasn't aged."

Ben then comes rushing towards them with a smile. "Shepard would like you two to see something."

"What is it?" Emily asks.

"I don't know, Ben replies. "But it must be something good. Come on!"

The trio eventually met Shepard at the cockpit, where Joker and a woman are flying the ship towards the Citadel.

"ETA to the Citadel 30 seconds." replies the woman.

"You never told me about her, Shepard." says Ben as he notices the woman.

"I am the Normandy's artificial intelligence. The crew refers to me as EDI." she replies.

"If you're an AI, then why are you in a woman's body?" asks David.

"It's a long story." replies Shepard. "Anyway, look over there."

Ben, Emily and David are astounded by what they're seeing. A large space station could be seen that consists of 5 sections, all held together by a circular section in the middle.

"Is this the Citadel?" Ben asks.

"Indeed it is." Shepard replies with a smile.

Ben spends the week on the Citadel with a balance between training and hanging out with who he'll eventually fight alongside with, including the Master Chief and Delta Squad, who were the clones that Hackett and Anderson were talking about.

After the week was over, Ben was chilling out when Shepard approached him and handed over his SMG from Earth.

"Ready to go home?" Shepard asks.


	8. Chapter 8: Preparations & Revelations

**Chapter 8: Preperations & Revelations**

The SR-2 Normandy and SSV Unity arrive in orbit over Earth. A week has passed since the Uprising began. Resistance forces are reporting successes against the Combine, and fighting has just gone underway in City 17. It was time to storm the fort.

Ben walks along the corridors of the Normandy and sees that everyone's getting ready to drop into City 17 and liberate it from the Combine. As he rounds a corner, he bumps into Shepard.

"Sorry about that." Ben apologizes.

"No worries." Shepard replies with a smile. "I'm sure you're eager to return to Earth and help your rebel allies against the Combine."

"Yes, I am." Ben responds. "But I'm starting to worry about something."

"What's that?" Shepard asks.

"A few things on my mind right now." Ben starts. "If what you say is true, about the Combine being part of the Collective. Would any of their allies help in defending City 17?"

"No doubt about that." Shepard answers. "We only read Cerberus in the local area, so I think it'll be just them. We got them handled, though, so don't worry."

"OK." says Ben. "I've also been having a dream everytime I go to sleep."

"Is it the same dream?" Shepard asks.

"Yes."

"Everytime?"

"Everytime I go to sleep."

A few moments of silence is followed by Shepard asking "Why don't you tell me what it's about?"

Ben tells Shepard about the dream, from the armor he was wearing, to when he was pinned down by Kai Leng in a struggle.

"Sounds like a vision." Shepard says at last, taking Ben's story into consideration. "I've had something like that once."

"So, can you decipher it?" Ben asks.

"No." says Shepard. "But I know someone who can. Follow me."

Ben follows Shepard to an office that he's never been in before. Inside the office was a large screen and a bed. A small blue looking sphere approaches the two.

"Hello, Commander Shepard." says the sphere.

"I would like to talk to Liara, Glyph." Shepard orders.

"One moment please, Commander." Glyph responds, and heads off to the other side of the room. A few moments later, a blue skinned humanoid steps into the office, and walks towards the Shepard and Ben.

"Hello, Shepard." says Liara. She then looks in Ben's direction. "And you must be Benjamin Walker." she says with a smile.

"Just Ben, please." Ben replies.

"Ben, this is Liara T'Soni." says Shepard, as he introduces Liara. "She one of my most trusted allies in the Alliance."

"Nice to meet you." Ben replies with a smile as he shakes Liara's hand. "I wasn't expecting to meet an alien, though."

"I'm an Asari." Liara replies.

"A what?"

"The asari are currently the most powerful species in the galaxy." Shepard explains. "They were the first species to discover the Citadel, and together with the Salarians and Turians, formed the Citadel Council. They're also a mono-gender race, and can live up to 1000 years!"

"Damn!" Ben exclaims. "I wish I could live that long. How old are you exactly, Liara? If you don't mind me asking, that is."

"I'm currently 109." Liara answers.

"Wow." Ben then brings the mono-gender fact to question. "Also, what do you mean by a mono-gender race?"

"We're all female." Liara replies. "There's never been any male asari."

"That's weird." Ben replies, scratching his head.

"Indeed it is." says Shepard. "Now, back to business. Would you like to tell Liara about your dream?"

Ben recounts the whole dream again to Liara, and when he was finished, Liara too also took this into consideration.

"Sounds like a strange recurring dream." Liara replies. "Only one way to find out. I would like to try and meld with your mind."

"Melding?" Ben asks, confused.

"She wants to join your mind with her's." Shepard explains. "Asari can do that."

"Very well." Ben simply replies.

"Come closer." beckons Liara. Ben closes the distance betwen him and Liara.

"Close your eyes, and try to relax." Liara instructs. Ben does so, and Liara does the same.

"Embrace eternity!" exclaims Liara, and her eyes open again, completely black.

Ben finds himself back at White Forest, wearing the white armor and surrounded by corpses. The whole dream goes as planned. Ben kills some soldiers, who he now knew were Cerberus troops. Then he gets knocked to the ground by Kai Leng. During the struggle, Leng points a pistol at Ben's skull. A gunshot is then heard, and Ben wakes up back on the Normandy.

"Wow." Liara exclaims. "That was... quite radical. You ever told anyone about this?"

"Just Shepard and my friends Emily and David." Ben answers. "Emily says it could be something that happens in the future."

"I too think this is an event to come." says Liara, giving her opinion on the dream. "White Forest is real, no?"

"Yes." Ben replies. "It's a Resistance base in the Outlands surrounding City 17."

"I see." was all Liara could say. "Well, you haven't got the armor yet, but I'd say be ready for anything." She then starts to feel a bit dizzy but manages to hold herself up.

"Are you alright?" Ben asks.

"I'm fine." Liara replies. "It's just that the mind melding is a bit... exhausting. I'll need some time to rest."

"It's OK." says Shepard. "We're still preparing, anyway." He then turns to Ben. "Come with me." he says. "There's quite a few people who I want you to meet."

Breen once again sees the vista of City 17 from behind the windows of his office. The city was beautiful from where he stand, but it was slowly turning into a warzone. He knew that the rebels would try something like this. He believes that they're doing this to rescue Eli, and nothing else.

"Still holding hope that we'll just give up?" Eli asks.

"Oh, Eli..." Breen sighs. "I know you better than this. If only you just say the words to save all those innocent people down there in the streets."

"Well, you can dream on." Eli replies with a tone of aggression. The Illusive Man once again steps into the office.

"I take it you know that the Alliance is in orbit of the Earth?" he asks.

"Indeed I do." Breen replies. "And they will be helping the rebels, no doubt."

"If that's the case, here's what I'm proposing." says the Illusive Man. "Let Cerberus take care of the Alliance. The Combine can focus on the Resistance. Once we've driven the Alliance out of the city, we'll help you finish the rebels off." He then walks over to Eli. "This would never have happened if only you and your freedom fighters collaborated with the Combine."

"Go to hell." Eli replies harshly.

"I'm disappointed." says the Illusive Man. "This world was supposed to be perfect. Breen saved you lot in the Seven Hour War, and THIS is how you repay him?"

"He's NOT in control!" Eli shouts, his anger starting to boil over. "The Combine are!"

"Keep your temper." the Illusive Man replies calmly. "I'm just pointing out a fact."

"Enough." Breen says at last. "We'll do it your way."

"Glad you see things my way." says the Illusive Man with a smile. "I'll leave you two alone and prepare my forces." He then turns to leave the office. "Just remember this, Breen. If the rebels succed, their victory will be short lived."

"I know." says Breen.

"You're sure that with the Alliance's help, we'll beat the Combine?" Emily asks Ben. The rebel trio are in the Normandy's hanger, preparing for their return to City 17.

"I'm sure." Ben replies.

"What if they didn't help us." David then asks. "What then?"

I'll still be sure."

"When was our last big victory against the Combine, Ben?" David asks. "Huh?" Ben says nothing. "Way I see it, we'll never win this war. If it were up to me, I'd probably surrender, but you won't say the same."

"No. I wouldn't." Ben replies. "The Combine took my whole family away. I will never forgive them for that."

"I feel you." Emily replies. "I believe in you, though." Shepard approaches the trio.

"Emily, you and David will help the Resistance in the city." he says.

"What about me?" Ben replies.

"I would like you to help us with Cerberus, if necessary."

"How do you know Cerberus will assist the Combine in defending the city?" Emily asks.

"Because the Combine and Cerberus both belong in the Collective." Shepard replies. "Believe me, they will cooperate together to ensuring you guys fail."

"OK, but why me?" Ben replies.

"I've yet to see you in action. I've heard stories about you from Magnusson and Eli. They say you're one of the best in the Resistance. I would like to see for myself, and see if they're right."

"Fine." says Ben.

Shepard then turns to look at Emily and David. "A shuttle is ready to drop you two off at the outskirts of the city." he offers.

"We'll go." says Emily. "I would like Ben to come to see us off."

Shepard turns to Ben. "Go ahead." he says with a smile.

The trio walk towards the shuttle, which is prepared to transport Emily and David back to Earth.

"I guess this is goodbye, for now." says Ben.

"I guess so." David replies. He then walks to Ben and gives him a hug.

"Take care."

"You too, David."

David jumps on but Emily stays with Ben for a minute.

"I've got something to tell you..."

"What's that?" Ben asks.

"I'm... I'm..." Emily stutters, struggling to find the words. "I'm pregnant." she says at last. "And you're the father."

Ben's eyes widen at the sound of the news. During his week on the Citadel, he and Emily had sex, but he had no idea that a baby would come out from it.

"Why didn't you tell me about this?" asks Ben, still shocked.

"I only found out today." Emily starts. I started feeling a little nauseous earlier, and decided to visit that doctor. What was her name? Chakwas?"

"Yeah."

"She examined me and told me I was pregnant for a week."

"Is it a boy or a girl?" Ben asks, curious.

"Hard to tell yet." Emily replies. "But I'm hoping it's a girl."

"I see." Ben replies. "You better head on home." Emily and Ben share a kiss.

"I love you. Try to come back alive." Emily whispers, with tears running down her cheeks.

"I love you too." Ben replies. Emily hops onto the shuttle and looks at Ben as the shuttle doors close. The shuttle then lifts off, and leaves the Normandy, bound for City 17. Ben watches as the shuttle disappers into the planet below.

"Over here!" Shepard calls out to Ben. "Let's get you kitted out!"

Ben walks over to the armory where Shepard and James are at and gets out his SMG and pistol.

"There's no way you'll be able to harm them Cerberus pendejos with weapons like those, amigo." says James, examining Ben's weapons. He then turns round to grab an M-8 Avenger assault rifle and an M-3 Predator. "These would work much, much better." he says, giving the weapons to Ben. "You know how to use these, right?"

"I guess." Ben replies "But there's no magazines."

"In the past, these guns would overheat." says Shepard. "So thermal clips were introduced. "The way it works that you place a thermal clip into the weapon, then once it's overheated, you eject it and replace it with a new one."

"In other words, thermal clips ARE magazines." says James.

"I see." Ben replies. "So when do we leave?" he then asks.

"About twenty minutes." Shepard answers. "So take your time and get to know everyone."

Ben spent the next twenty minutes conversing and meeting all the various people he'll be dropping in with. Once twenty minutes have passed, the Unity started dispatching shuttles to Earth and the Normandy, and Shepard assigns everyone to different ones.

"You'll be dropping into City 17 with the Master Chief and Delta Squad." Shepard tells Ben. "You're good at following orders, right?"

"Yes" was all Ben could say.

"The Chief will be first in command and Boss will be second. Just follow what they say, and everything will be fine." says Shepard. "See you down there."

"You too." Ben replies.

Ben boards the shuttle that's occupied by the Master Chief and Delta Squad; Boss, Sev, Scorch and Fixer. Shepard boards another shuttle with Samus and Lightning. Once everyone has boarded their shuttles, the shuttles depart the Normandy and set course for City 17.

Meanwhile, Breen watches as the skies above City 17 fill with shuttles.

The battle for City 17 has begun...


End file.
